Machines for applying pressure to shoe bottoms



1961 R. L. BRADLEY ET AL 3,

MACHINES FOR APPLYING PRESSURE TO SHOE BOTTOMS Filed Dec. 7, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 m 74 J L L J Inventors n Robe/f L. Brad/9y 5 J Hanfor'c/fi? Car-r By fheir' Attorney MACHINES FOR APPLYING PRESSURE TO SHOE BOTTOMS Filed Dec. 7, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 1961 R. 1.. BRADLEY ETAL 3,002,208

Oct. 3, 1961 R. BRADLEY ET AL 3,002,208

MACHINES FOR APPLYING PRESSURE TO SHOE BOTTOMS Filed Dec. 7, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Oct. 3, 1961 R. BRADLEY ET AL 3,002,208

MACHINES FOR APPLYING PRESSURE TO SHOE BOTTOMS Filed Dec. 7, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 3,002,208 MACHINES FOR APPLYING PRESSURE T SHOE BQTTOMS Robert L. Bradley and Hanford R. Carr, Beverly, Mass, assignors to United Shoe Machinery Corporation,

Flemington, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Dec. 7, 1959, Ser. No. 857,598 7 Claims. (Cl. 12-33) This invention relates to cement shoe sole attaching machines of the single unit type as disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,712,660, granted July 12,- 1955, upon application of Lawrence Mawbey, and more particularly to improvements in means for adjusting and initiating operation of power operated pressing means in such machines.

Objects of the invention are to provide a machine of the type disclosed in the patent above referred to, with automatically adjustable connections for adapting a power operated press having a limited fixed stroke relatively to shoe engaging abutments to avoid the necessity for frequent manual adjustments when operating upon lasted shoes of variable heights and sizes.

The machine described in the Mawbey patent is a press actuated by an eccentric driven through a nonrepeating, one-revolution clutch for delivering asingle percussional upward impulse to a pad to force the sole of a shoe against the shoe bottom with a suitable cement attaching pressure, the action of the eccentric being modified by a relatively heavy spring of suflicient length to overcome as far as possible the inherent limitations in length of stroke .and abruptness of pressure variations met in an eccentric driven machine. To insure optimum results, the machine of the patent must be adjusted manually by cut-and-try methods whenever there exists any appreciable variation in the heights of lasted shoes being operated upon. Also, because the eccentric in that machine provides an extremely limited length of stroke between the sole pressing pad and the shoe abutrnents, it is necessary to provide an operator actuated cam acting to move the abutments bodily toward the shoe and to hold the abutments positively against movement before the power operated means for driving the eccentric has its operation initiated. After the operation is completed the abutments are raised to enable convenient replacement of the shoe. More specific objects of the invention are to simplify the construction and render more effective the operation of the machine, even with a relatively limited stroke imparted to the sole pressing pad of the machine disclosed in the patent.

The illustrated machine comprises a vertically movable shoe pressing pad, heel and toe abutments for a last supported shoe on the pad, power operated means for raising the pad toward the abutments to force a sole against the bottom of a shoe on the pad, operator controlled means acting to initiate operation of the power operated means, and a vertically adjustable bracket by which the toe and heel abutments are mounted in the frame of the machine, in which machine there is provided means for adjusting the bracket to bring the toe and heel abutments into engagement with the shoe and last and for locking the bracket rigidly with relation to the frame at a position determined by the heightwise dimension of the last on which the shoe is mounted.

These and other features of the invention, as hereinafter described and claimed will readily be apparent to .those skilled in the art from the following detailed specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a machine embodying the invention, illustrating a base portion of the machine partially broken away and with a front cover plate removed to indicate the underlying construction;

States Patent 0 the gear 29.

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FIG. 3 is an enlarged left side elevation of theupper portion of the machine, partly broken away and in section, as viewed along the line III-III of FIG. 4;

FIG. 4 is a front elevation on a similar scale and partly in section, taken along the line IVIV of FIG. 3, illustrating the upper portion of the machine; and

FIG. 5 is a detail view in right side elevation of a portion of a treadle connection in the machine.

The illustrated machine has a main frame including a hollow column 8 and a number of housing castings assembled together. An electric motor 10 (FIG. 2) in the column supplies power to exert pressure on the shoe bottom, a pulley 12 on the motor being connected through a belt'14 to a pulley 16 rotatably mounted on a shaft 18 below the motor. The shaft 18 is journaled on a subframe 20 secured to a base of the column 8 and the shaft 18 is connected to actuate a vertically movable shoe pressing pad by a set of reduction gears and a nonrepeating one-revolution clutch similar to that disclosedrin United States Letters Patent No. 448,777, granted March 24, 1891 in the name of G. W. Drake. The reduction gears aresupported partly by the shaft 18 and partly by a parallel countershaft 22 on which the clutch is mounted, the control of which clutch is aflorded by a collar or slide '24 movable alongthe shaft 22 to engage or disengage a driving member 26 from a driven member 28 of the clutch. Low speed rotation is derived from a final gear 29 secured to the shaft 18 and an eccentric 30 also is secured to the shaft 18, the clutch 26, 28 being interposed along the line of drive between the pulley 16 and The ratio of reduction in speed from the motor to the eccentric is such that if the motor rotates at 1200 rpm, the eccentric turns at about 34 rpm, or once in about two seconds. The time of actuation of the eccentric is therefore less than two seconds and the time of full pressure is quite short in the manner of a single percussional upward impulse exerted by the pad driven from the eccentric. After the percussional impulse the pad and shoe are lowered as the eccentric 0on tinues to rotate. At the end of a rotation in the eccentric a cam secured to the shaft 18 engages a projection on a clutch-actuating lever 32 for causing the clutch actuating slide 24 to be moved toward clutch-disengaging position. To engage the clutch after a shoe has been positioned on the pad, the lever 32 has a horizontal arm arranged-to beengaged by an upstanding arm secured to a treadle' shaft 34 having bearings in the frame 20. The treadle shaft 34' extends horizontally toward the front of the machine and has at its forward end a power initiating treadle 36, which when depressed by an operator causes the eccentric 30 to be rotated, as more fully explained in the patent to Mawbey above referred to.

The shoe supporting and pressing pad of the machine is indicated at 38 and is mounted directly above the cocentric 30. The pad raises the shoe and presses it against the toe and heel abutments 40 and 42. A slide 44 carries the pad 38 and a slide 46 directly below the pad-carrying slide supports a spring 48 running between the slides. Pivotally connected to the lower end of the slide 46 is an eccentric strap 49 surrounding the eccentric. 30', the arrangement being such that when the clutch 26, 28 is thrown into operation the percussional upward impulse is imparted to the pad slide 44 through the spring 48to force a sole against a shoe bottom. To cause the two slides 44 and 46 to move together while moving the pad 38 idly and to produce a predetermined preload on the spring 48, they are connected together by. a threaded rod 50 disposed within the spring, secured for rotation in the eccentric operated :slide 46, and engaged "at its upper 3 threaded end in a nut 52 carried by the pad slide 44, the lower end of the threaded rod being rotatable in the eccentric operated slide 46. The upper end of the rod 50 is suitably shaped to receive a hand wrench for convenience in adjustment.

To enable a shoe to be inserted and removed from the machine without obstruction, the toe and heel engaging abutments 40 and 42 are mounted on the main frame for vertical adjustment in depending relation to a pair of supporting blocks 54 and 56 (FIG. 4), slidingly mounted on a horizontal bar 58. For this purpose the toe and heel abutments are secured to the lower ends of a pair of vertical stems 60 and 62 sliding within passages in the blocks 54 and 56, within which they are capable of being adjusted according to the heightwise dimensions of the last on which the shoe is mounted. In this way the abutments are adjustable to one of a number of difierent successive positions by the engagement of a pair of horizontal pins 64 and 66 passing through openings in the blocks and one each of a series of vertically spaced openings in the stems 60 and 62. To retain the blocks 54- and 56 in place on the horizontal bar 58, the blocks are provided with yielding latches 68 engaging teeth 70 formed in the upper edge of the bar.

In the machine of the Mawbey patent, the bar corresponding to the bar 58 is rigidly secured to the forward end of a forked lever pivoted to a vertically sliding bracket yieldingly held in a raised position on the machine frame. In the patented machine the toe and heel engaging abutments and the vertically sliding bracket are moved downwardly to a fixed position and held in that position, so that an upward movement of the pad 38 may be substantially reduced in order to apply the requisite pressure on a shoe between the abutments and the pad. For this purpose the patented machine has a connection between its treadle through the cams to the vertically sliding bracket which is intended to be actuated before the clutch is thrown into operation. In order to adjust the position of engagement of the shoe abutments with a shoe on the pad it is, accordingly, necessary to stop the motor and to depress the treadle until the shoe engaging abutments are brought into their lowered positions. The vertical adjustments are then made by removing the pins, corresponding to the pins 64 and 66, and reinserting them in the proper openings in the stems corresponding to the stems 60 and 62. The motor must then be restarted before sole attaching operations can be continued. Not only is this procedure likely to be time-consuming, but there is danger that if the adjustments are not made correctly the timed relationship between the engagement of the abutments with the shoe and the engagement of the clutch members will not produce the best results in a sole attaching operation. Also, if the clutch members are actuated to start the machine before the abutments engage the shoe a strong upward thrust may be imparted to the treadle while being depressed with danger of injury to the operator. Accordingly, it may be necessary to adjust the vertical positions of the abutments further before effective attaching operations will be performed.

According to the present invention, the necessity for frequent time-consuming adjustments of the vertical position of the toe and heel engaging abutments 40 and 42 in their supporting blocks has been substantially reduced and in many instances where the variety of shoe sizes and styles is limited, such adjustments have been eliminated. To these ends the horizontal bar 58 carrying the blocks 54 and 56 is secured rigidly with a vertically adjustable bracket 72 formed at its rearward end to provide a bearing surrounding a vertical shaft 74 (see FIG. 3), the upper end of which has passing through it a rod 76 secured at its outer ends in a hollow housing 78 forming with the column the frame for the machine. The lower end of the shaft 74 is seated in a socket 80 in the housing 78. For the purpose of bracing the upper end of the shaft 7'4 it is engaged by the headed end of a bolt 82 threaded into the housing and locked in position by a check nut 84.

In the machine of the prior patent the bracket on which the shoe toe and heel abutments are supported is directly connected for nonyielding movement with relation to the treadle in actuating the starting clutch. Instead of directly connecting the treadle 36 with the bracket 72 in the machine of thepresent invention, it has been found possible to connect the treadle yieldingly with this bracket and to so arrange the connection with the bracket that the bracket will be adjusted downwardly until the toe and heel abutments engage the shoe, at which position the bracket is locked rigidly with relation to the frame until the attaching operation is completed. According to the present construction the bracket may be locked in any of a number of positions while the treadle is actuating the clutch.

T o engage the toe and heel abutments yieldingly with the shoe, the treadle shaft 34 has fixed to it an arm 86 pivotally connected to the lower end of a rod 88. The upper end of the rod 88 is threaded and is engaged with a threaded opening in a block 90. Also, a check nut 92 is provided for securing the block in place. Just below the block the rod 88 passes loosely through an opening in a block 94 secured to the lower end of a link 95. The link 95 is pivotally connected at its upper end with the bracket 72 and passes loosely through a perforation in the block 90. Surrounding the link 95 is a compression spring 96 which acts between the blocks 90 and 94 to impart a yielding movement to the bracket 72 in a downward direction, the block 90 also sliding on the link 95. Thus, the bracket 72 will be lowered yieldingly when the treadle is depressed until the abutments 40 and 42 engage a shoe. When this position of the bracket is reached the continued depression of the treadle compresses the spring 96 and squeezes the shoe with a preliminary pressure against the pad 38. For raising the treadle rod 88 after the treadle is depressed the central portion of the rod has surrounding it a compression spring 97 (FIG. 4) confined between a guide bearing on the column 8 and a collar 98 on the rod 88.

To lock the bracket 72 rigidly in the lowermost position to which it is moved it has passing through it a horizontal pin 99 rotatable in spaced flanges of the bracket. The pin 99 has secured to its middle portion a pawl 100 pointed upwardly and engaged with one of a series of notches 102 (FIG. 3) in the forward side of the shaft 74. Beneath the pin 99 is a hairpin spring 104 having lower right angle ends engaged in openings in a flange of the bracket 72 and a connecting portion overlying the upper end of the pawl 100 to maintain the pawl in yielding engagement with the notches 102.

The pawl 100 holds the bracket locked in its lowered position to which it is moved by the treadle link 95 with the abutments uniformly engaging a shoe being operated upon until the operation is completed. By this construction the operator is able to actuate the treadle through a fixed stroke while engaging the abutments reliably with the shoe regardless of the size or shape. Thereafter, as the shoe and pad are lowered the pawl 100 is raised from engagement with the notches 102 and the bracket 72 is moved to its uppermost position. For this purpose the rear bearing portion of the bracket has projecting from it a pin 106 surrounded by the lower ends of a pair of tension springs 108, the upper ends of which are engaged with the hooked portions of two bolts 110 (see FIG. 4) secured to the housing 78.

For the purpose of raising the pawl 100 from engagement with the vertical shaft 74 to unlock the bracket 72 it has mounted on it a pair of grooved plates 112 and 114 (FIG. 3), the grooves in which form a vertical guideway for the forward and rearward edges of a slide 116. The slide 116 is formed with a central slot 118 $9 clear the pin 99 which projects through the slot to the left side of the slide 116. At the left side of the slide 116 the pin 99 has fixed to it a plate 120 having an arcuate opening 122 through which passes loosely a stud 124. The stud 124 is secured by an arm 126 rotating loosely on the pin 09 between the plate 120 and the slide 116. By means of the opening 122 and the stud 124 the arm 126 is loosely connected with the plate 120, so that the arm has a limited amount of free rocking movement on the pin 99. At the forward end of the arm 126 is a short leaf spring 128 disposed in a horizontal groove in the arm and secured loosely in place by a screw 130 passing through an opening in the leaf spring. The forward end of the leaf spring 128 engages with a series of serrations on a strap 132 secured to the left side of the slide 116, so that any movement imparted to the slide tends to move the arm 126 and the pawl 100. A forward projection of the arm 126 underlies the leaf spring to insure that relative downward movement of the slide 116 and the strap 132 will impart an effective downward movement to the arm 126 and cause the pawl 100 to be raised from the shaft 74.

To move the slide 116 downwardly relatively to the bracket 72 and to raise the pawl 100 from engagement with the notches 102 the slide is pivotally connected at 134 with the upper end of a link 136, the lower end of which is pivotally connected by a screw 138 in a plate 140 fixed to the base of the pad box 38. When the pad box is being raised by rotation of the eccentric 30 during a sole attaching operation, the slide 116 also is raised and the serrations in the strap 132 move idly along the leaf spring 128 until the movement terminates. As soon as the sole attaching operation is completed the shoe pressing pad 38 starts to move downwardly carrying the slide 116 with it and the notches of the strap 132 move the leaf spring, the arm 126 and the plate 120 to cause the pawl to be lifted clear from the notches. As soon as the pawl is lifted from the notches the springs 108 raise the bracket 72, so that the shoe may readily be removed from the pad.

By the construction described the bracket 72 with the toe and heel abutments is always moved yieldingly against the toe of a shoe being operated upon and the heel portion of the last on which the shoe is mounted before the main operating clutch 26, 28 is thrown into operation. The toe and heel abutments 40 and 42 are thereby definitely brought into engagement with the shoe and the last regardless of the height of the last. After the abutments have engaged with the shoe and last the spring 96 enables the treadle to be depressed further, the spring 96 yielding to permit the clutch to be thrown into operation.

One advantage of this construction is that no possible change in the adjustment of the abutments 40 and 42 on the bracket 72 can cause the clutch 26, 28 to be engaged when the treadle is depressed before the abutments are brought into contact with the shoe and last. Furthermore, the adjustments in timing of the bracket movement with relation to the engagement of the clutch can be made at the factory where the machine is manufactured without danger of changing the timing while the machine is in use.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated and a particular embodiment having been described, what is claimed is:

1. A cement sole attaching machine having a main frame, a shoe supporting pad, toe and heel abutments for a last supported shoe, power operated means for raising the pad toward the abutments to force a sole against the shoe bottom while the shoe and last engage the toe and heel abutments, operator controlled means acting to initiate operation of the power operated means, and a vertically adjustable bracket by which the toe and heel abutments are mounted in the frame, in combination with means connected for operation with the operator controlled means for adjusting the bracket to bring the toe and heel abutments into engagement with the shoe and last and means for locking the bracket rigidly with relation to the frame regardless of the heightwise dimensions of the last on which the shoe is mounted.

2. A cement sole attaching machine, as set forth in claim 1, in which the means for adjusting the bracket comprises a yielding connection between the operator controlled means and the bracket for moving thev abutment into locked engagement with the shoe without locking the operator-controlled means.

3. A cement sole attaching machine having a main frame, a shoe supporting pad, toe and heel abutments for a last-supported shoe, a slide on the frame carrying the pad, a second slide on the frame below the pad slide, a spring between the slides, power-operated means acting on the second slide and including a nonrepeating one-revolution clutch for delivering a single percussional upward impulse to the pad slide through the spring to force a sole against the shoe bottom while the shoe and last engage the toe and heel abutments, operatorcontrolled means acting to initiate operation of the power operated means, and a vertically adjustable bracket by which the toe and heel abutments are mounted in the frame, in combination with means connected for operation with the operator controlled means for adjusting the bracket to bring the toe and heel abutments into engagement with the shoe and last as the operator controlled means is actuated to initiate operation of the power means and pawl means for locking the bracket rigidly with relation to the frame and for unlocking the bracket as the shoe and pad are lowered regardless of the heightwise dimensions of the last on which the shoe is mounted.

4. A cement sole attaching machine, as set forth in claim 3, in which the means for locking the bracket comprises a pawl carried by the bracket and a notched pawl engaging shaft on which the bracket is mounted for vertical adjustment. l

5. A cement sole attaching machine, as set forth in claim 4, in which there is provided a slide on the toe and heel abutment supporting bracket for raising the pawl from engagement with the shaft on which the bracket is mounted when the shoe-supporting pad moves away from the toe and heel supporting abutments.

6. A cement sole attaching machine, as set forth in claim 4, in which there is provided means for raising the pawl from engagement with the vertical shaft to unlock the bracket.

7. A cement sole attaching machine, as set forth in claim 6, in which the pawl raising means consists of connections between the pawl and the shoe supporting pad.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 352,251 Coupal Nov. 23, 1886 362,447 Holland May 3,1887 2,005,608 Bresnahan June 18, 1935 2,712,660 Mawbey July 12, 1955 2,898,614 Lotarski et a1. Aug. 11, 1959 

